Prediction: UK Online Ads Pass TV In 2009

Online advertising will surpass TV in one key market in 2009: the UK. This, according to the UK arm of the Internet Advertising Bureau, which estimated the size of the UK advertising market with PricewaterhouseCoopers and the World Advertising Research Center.

How much online vs. TV ad spending is expected in 2009? We don't know from the Reuters coverage, which just gives us the 2007 numbers. UK online advertising -- both display ads and search -- came in at $5.6 billion in 2007, or 15.3% of the market. That compares to a 19.9% market share for print advertising and 21.8% for TV.

By the end of 2009, online will have the biggest share, according to IAB chief Guy Phillipson: "With broadband speeds on the up and consumers spending more time on more sites, the outlook for online advertising is rosy -- in fact we expect it to overtake TV in 2009 when it will become the UK's biggest medium," he said in a statement.

Another reason for online's ascendance: TV advertising in the UK is a relatively small market compared to the $70 billion business it is in the U.S.